Coasting-sled.



C. T. ROGERS.

COAS'TING SLED. APPLICAnoN mxo Apenas. um.` neuneu Jun: u, 19u.

hh r1 3 SHEETS-SHEET l- Patented 11111.15, 1918.

. wennen "a Roenes, or'NEW Yqm, N1.

cons'rmelsnnb.

r specification of Letters raten.

Appunuonsledugusz 2s; 1e14,.sei'ia1 u.sse,oes. neneweuyne 14.1917. serieu Neun-,75s.

To all whom it may] condom.' l*

Be itknown that L Cmmexmi l. Roanne, a citizen of `the `United States of America and resident of the borough` of l\lhnha ttan, in. the county o'fNei'v York and .Stateof New York,` have invented cert-ain new, and useful Impro'vex'irmnts in Coasting-Sleds, of

which the following isa specification.

My inventloh relates to improvements 1n sleds of the class whichinny be described ,as selectively adjustable for travel'on. a single runneror un aplrality ofl runners carried thereby, and a particularobject thereof Ais 4to producea simple sleih one which, can be lmore easilycontrollednd steered, and one which Will'be 4very much faster, ythan such selentively adjustable sleds as heretofore. use

In cases coasting sleds arepi-ovided with two parallel renners, `and consequently are Subjectedto considerable friction from snow and. ice. The previously knownsele tively adjustable types,' however, have Abeenfound to affordthesame u dvant'agefthat a bicycle has over" f1 four-Wheeled vehicle, fand,

on the same p rinefle',` ivlien' the sled 4is in motion itis easilyf alanccll and controlled, may' be" revented "from tippin when go'-5 in slow. or beingdrawn uphill.

he main objebt of my i nvention,` other l words',-is' to produceV a sledv havingthe feeltures just described, and vone characterized by marked advantages as to siinpliity'o. construction andof assembly; 'by .inexp'len sivene' f of man'ufsic'tufre;V by' .a strong; an sturdy y pacity or great speed in coasting and by a convenient and Avery attractivel arrangement for steering control and managementY embodiments;

'Referring'.now.. to the accompanying draw` ings:4 which are to be taken asia part ofthis .-speciimition,` and wherein there "eredieosed two of the various possible embodimentsof this invention .as at present pre- Figure 1 is atop plan vieivof on'ofsaid Fig, 2 is a side-simsen of said `embodiment'zthesteering wheel 13' and-'its associa arts/being` partly'shownfin section tb aid t eldisclosure; f

Fig'. 8 is a Vvertical sectional view taken on th line-fBe-B 4of 3, illustrating,r dfferenfially from ,the disclosure 0f Es 2, e

et light build throughout," by `a cgty dis sitionfof the parts whereby the-:plun' rality of side runners 18` are maintained im elevated positions;

Fig.- .4 is a side. elexfationof` another emf bodiment, this ,view 4showing certain of .the

runners-.as being partiallyv broken.away; l Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional' i' "view taken on the line 55 Iof Fgql; and! Fig. 6y is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on .theline 6-6 .of Fig. 4; v. Similar reference characters refer toisimilar parts; throughout the several viewsI of.4

the drawings.

Advertinglirst to a description of the embodiment disclosed in Figs. .1, Qand 3, the sled may be of any usual form, though'I Jprefer to maintain generally the style ofl lovniiatconstruction. It has a top i', and Side-.frames 8. 'Y The sled has a. singlecenterrunner 9, rigidly secured to the to 7 as by means otl its integrally carried an upstanding extenthe undersideof a cross-bar/IQ. .v

'. Above thecenter of cross-bar n 12 is a steer-Y v'ing yvheel 13 ixedly attached, to said cross! bar as by means ofthe ears 14 which are` disclosed in Figl 4,and which are integrally .formed upon the hub of thevwheel.;I It will be. seen that u on endeavoring to lrotatefthe .sions 10 andll# This runner-Slis preferably fleniblein advanceof itsextension 11; andA its forwardtermmus is ixedly connected to fsteering whee tol the right or .left of. its in ixed center, the gross-.bar 12 Will-be swung-- d ,obliquely in one directionor the other and thereby to the right or .left flexing .dieron- 4 The hub'o steeringivheel 13 is i nally vertically bored, and crossba'r 12 transversely apertureddownward rolongation ofsaidbore, all. as shown in of whichiskeyed n lankl T elower end of the spindle integrally carries en olset 'arm 15 to which is pi.v rt all`y attached a ners gemarally provide' I a plurality 'of movable side runllrs 1 8, heb h 'un from its associated side frame'B bye lura `itylo dependent links 19 ar1 d20. "L1 nks 2 0` areV connected'b means 'of the 'criJss-rod 21, a'nd Veach of the inks 1 9 has pivqtelly connected 2. .Extending thr. ughl said cross-berend aperture is a spindle 15;upon the. u pper end thereto as shown one terminus of a link 22. Link 22 and link 17 are interpivoted at the point 23. A calibrated scale 24 may .be mounted .5 u n steering wheel 13 as shown in Fig.v 1, i desired.

The operation of this embodiment of this invention, which' from the foregoing description should be largely obvious, is substantially asA follows: A fter the sled has started its coasting travel,and the passenger f deems it is under sufficient speedline turns :the operating crank 16 suflicie'ntly to redispoae the partsassh'own in Fi' 2, softhat 15' they will assume the locations I' lustrated in .'Fi V3. Without material effort, he has thus "uciently'elevated the sidenrunners 18 so the only ground-contacting surface is l mwthe-lower ed eof th'e center runner 9.

is. The result is less rictionand greater speed,

, all without any danger 'ofrov'ertippin'glon account ofthe readiness of theside runners 18, although elevated as aforesaid, .to act ns safeardsv should: a spill` threaten'. Moreover,

'35 lelxing's of the forward end of runner 9, duc .m'a'ni ulatons of steering wheel' 1'3 as aforesai are rendered more effective for `Vlmlaneing urposes While said side runners areelevate What may be considered a minor detail of construction', but ywhich is nevertheless of great practical value (and which is disclosed in connection with the embodiment just described but which is not sodsclosed 1n connection with'the embodiment`illus- -trated in Figs. 4, 5`and 6), i's the design of the parts whereby when lthe side runners '18 are once elevated (see Fig. 3 the pivotal connection between arm 15 any llink 17 is at 4. a dead-center with the axis 4of spindle'1`5, and whereby when theside runners 18 are depd (SeeFig. the ivotal connection between the arm' and ink just mentioned is also at a/dead-center `with theaxis of said spindle. v f

`Examining now the construction ofthe embodiment disclosed in.Fig`s.- 4, 5 and 6, the sled sliown'herefis provided, too,"with the usual topf( and.side fraines8. This enn-v 5u swivcled and depending from lthe two sidefra'mes 8, as by 'means of hinges 27. Y These .lnnges as heredesi nedpermit the siderunners 26 to sp'rea" from'beneath the top 7 as indicated at 26 in Fig. 6; but it isoba vious that sind runners may otherwise be' has; 'crank .81. A- desoripton-of the mountings of front vfor it was bolim'ent may be said to'ds'close en *applifk hung or supported. Four brackets 28 are mounted upon thel inner sides of the two. side-runners and to each of these brackets yis pivotall4 connected one terminus of a link 129. The ree ends of the rear pair o f links .-29 are interpivoted with one end of a vlink 30 asat the point 31 (see Figs. 4 'and 5),' and the other; end' of link 31 is interpivoted with one end of each of the forward pair of links 29 and one end of the'link 32 a'sat the lpoint 37 "(see Figs. 4, 5 ando).

The forward end of link 32 is pivotally.' connectedwit-h the freete'rmmus' of Aan 'olfof a rotatable steering wheel 33, as shown in Fig-6. f Said hub is itself 'rotatively journa edwithin a bushing 36 inserted lnto an Iset arm 34 mounted upon a .spindle'li, which is journaled longitudinally ofthe hub aperture formedtransverselyandlvertically A of tog) 7. The vupper terminuso'f spindlel 34 xedly mounted thereon an operatlngcenter-'unncrf25 has been thus fai-deferred;

advantageous preliminarily to the mounting of spindle'34 inasmuch as'hid mounting of said spindle `must be preferably such as notfto interfereV free play of oiscbarm with the'necessa 34; and itsattached link 32.'A As shown, the lower edge of front center-runner'2-5 Ais maintained preferably ata common 'level with the lower edge of rear center-runner 24'by means '-ofj the struts 381,'lixedl'y attached to .the lowei` portion of the hub ofl steering whl 33. Consequently, while these struts prevent an upward longitudinali displace* ment of said hub, they permit said front center-runner 'to be manipulated for balancing purposes by means of the .steering wheel 33. v

The operation of this embodiment of this invention', which should from thq, foregoing descriptlon largely be bbvi-Qus, ,s substa 'tially as follows: After the sled has started its coasting, and the passenger deems it at suflicient speed, he turns the operating crank 37 suicientl'yV to redispose the siderunners 26 to their locations 26 as shownin Fig. 6;

and here too, without materialefort, he has hus'suiiiciently' elevated the lower edge of the side runners 26 sc thatthe only groundcontacting-` surfaces are now the lower edges of center runnerslland 25.'v The result is,

again, less friction andgreater specd; also without:my dangcr of o verti'pping on fac count of the readmess ofk the. side runners 26, although'rcdisposed as aforesaid, to act as safeguards should a spill threaten. Moreover, swivelings of the front center-runner 25, due to mani ulations o f steerin "wheel 33, are rende more eiectve for alancing urposes while said side runners are elevate From the forming it will heleen that I iso' have produced a sled which is of low, flat construction, and mie in which the operator oan'-L at willfandrvthout any necessity for lifting his own weight or the weight of the i sled-body, change from a sled running upon my inyentioneoi'ild be made Without depart# ing `from the scope thereof,l it is intended that allv mutter contin'edrin the apove description or shown in the' \siccompanying drawings shall be interpreted illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to bc understood that the langua e used in the following claims is inten ed to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein, described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which asa matter of languagemight be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. A coasting sled, including a framefa center runner the rear portion of which is rigidly mounted upon the frame and the front portion of `which runner is exible., means adapted to flex said front portion of l said runner, a plurality of side runners the flat of each of which is always maintained in the same plane, and means adapted for actuation to elevate the groundcontaeting edges of said side runners..

2. A coasting sled, including a iframe, a center runner the rear subdivision of which is. rigidly mounted upon the frame and the front subdivision of which is movable relatively of the frai'ne, means adapted thus to move said front sul'idi'visionj a plurality of side runners7 and means adapted for actuation to-elevate the ground-contacting edges ot' said side runners, the means irst-men tioned including a steering `Wheel carried by the 4frame and the means last-mentioned inclu'ding a spindle journaled Within the hub of the steeringwheel and rotatable relatively of said hub. 3. A coasting sled, including a frame, a center runner the rear portion of which is rigidly mounted upon the frame and the front portieri of which is flexible, means adapted to` flex said front portionl of said runner, a plurality of side runners, and means adapted for actuation to elevate the ground-contacting edges of said side run ners, the means last-mentioned including a steering Wheel fixedly attached to the said front portion of said center runner. ln Witness whereofIha've hereunto signed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE 'fr'. ROGERS.

AUGUSTUS M. HENRY, BERTHE BLUM. 

